Hyperlinking in Project

- If your project schedule is always open on your computerhyperlinks make it easy to access other informationrelated to your project.You can create hyperlinks to files, websites,or even specific records within your project file.Let's use the task Obtain approval for schematicsto add a hyperlink to a file.To do that, I right click the task in the table,and on the shortcut menu down at the bottomthere's an entry, Hyperlink.

I'm gonna click that, and that opens upthe Insert Hyperlink dialog box.If you wanna add a hyperlink to a file or a web page,in the Link to section click that first box,Existing File or Web Page.If you wanna type a web page URL inyou can do that right in the address box,or you could even paste it in from your browser.In this case, I want to link to a file.What I'm gonna do, in the linked in drop down list,I click this down arrow at the right side of that box,and I'm gonna go to my desktop because I wanna goto my Exercise Files folder, and the file that I wantis in the subfolder 05, for chapter five.

I scroll down, and I find the Word document,Schematic_Approval_0501.When I select the file in the list,the address box adds the file name to that box.And also up at the top, Text to display, puts the file name.Let's say I don't want the file name there.I want something different.I can select that text and type something else.Let's say it's the Schematic Approval letter.

The hyperlink is all set up.All I have to do now is click OK.Nothing seems to change here,but that's because I need to add the Indicators column.So I'm gonna right click the Task Mode headingand choose Insert Column.Then, I'll add the Indicators field.When I do that in the Indicator cellthere's a globe with a couple of links of chain,and when I point at the Indicator cell,besides telling me that the task was completed,it also has the link to the Schematic Approval letter.

Notice that that's the text that I typed in.If I wanna follow the hyperlink,all I have to do is click the icon.You may see a message about security.If you know that the file is safe,then just go ahead and click Yes.When you follow the hyperlink,your computer opens up the program and displays the file.Remember, it doesn't have to be a Word document.It could be an Excel spreadsheetor maybe even a scanned image of the signed letter.I'm gonna right click the Task again.

This time on the shortcut menu,the Hyperlink entry has several commands that you can use.The first one is Edit Hyperlink.Let's say that your Word documentgot stored in a different folder.So you could edit the hyperlinkto point to the new location.You could also open the hyperlink from this menu,or you can copy copy it, or you can clear itif you don't need it anymore.Well, now let's take a look at another wayto add a hyperlink, which is a hyperlinkto another place in your project file.

You can only add one hyperlink to a task this way.So I'm gonna use the task Draft schematic drawings.Just like we did before, you right click the task,and then on the shortcut menu choose Hyperlink.This time, we wanna point to adifferent place in the document.The first thing I'm gonna do is in the Link to sectionchoose Place in This Document.Now the cursor is the Enter task or resource ID field.Let's say that I wanna link to theObtain approval for schematics task.

So it's task ID 6.I type that in the box.The next thing that I have to dois to select a view in the project.I'm gonna scroll up until I can see my views.Right now, I'm on the Gantt chart,but let's say that I wanna go to the Tracking Gantt instead.I scroll down until I see that view,and then I select it in the list.Now up at the top, the Text to displayis the view, an exclamation point, and the task ID.

And that's okay, if that's what you want, but you can alsoreplace that with something more meaningful.So I'm going to say it's the Schematic Approval task.I just type that in the Text to display box,and now we're ready to click OK.I have a hyperlink icon in the Indicator cell,and when I point at it, there's my text to display.Just like with the other hyperlink,if I click this icon notice it takes meto task number six in the Tracking Gantt.

If I click the bottom half of the Gantt Chart button,the checkbox is next to Tracking Gantt.If you wanna review hyperlinks quickly,the hyperlink table is ideal.On the View tab, I'm gonna click the Tables button,and down at the bottom I'll choose More Tables.That opens up the More Tables dialog box,where I can get to every tablein my file and global template.All I have to do is select Hyperlink,and of course click Apply.The hyperlink table has the text to displayin the Hyperlink column,but you can point at these to follow the links.

In addition, the table has an Address column,which actually shows the address that you're going to.So in this case, we've got a file that we're linked to.We also have the column SubAddress.With our hyperlink that goes to another placein the project file,that's where the view and the task ID sit.In all of these, they're underlinedso you can follow the hyperlink by clicking any of them.

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Author

Updated

11/5/2015

Released

5/14/2015

Building on the skills learned in the popular Project 2010 and Project 2013 Essential Training courses, author Bonnie Biafore teaches more advanced aspects of the popular project management software, first introducing powerful shortcuts for opening and saving files, and then moving into assigning resources, managing project costs, and setting up earned value tracking. She also provides handy tips for exchanging data with other projects as well as linking and embedding data.

Viewers will then learn how to customize fields and generate cool graphical and visual reports. Finally, the course shows how to share various customizations and configurations as well as best practices for managing multiple projects.

Lynda.com is a PMI Registered Education Provider. This course qualifies for professional development units (PDUs). To view the activity and PDU details for this course, click here.The PMI Registered Education Provider logo is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.